Mass testing machine



OCt- 24, 1933 G. E. HOPKINS MASS TESTING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l AT'roRNEY CCL 24, 1933. G. E. HOPKINS MAS'VfS TESTING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .NVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Oct. 24, i933 l s 'rss PATENT OFFICE 1,931,925 riass- MAC Giles E. Hopkins, llt" 1|- Mass., ignor to Bigelow-Sanford @arnet Co. Inc. accueillies .ruig e, iosa semi No. enses comme (ci. acs-ip This invention relates to machines for measur= Other features of the invention and novel coma ing those physical characteristics of a mass of lbination of parts in addition to the above will be fibrous material which are usually expressed by hereinafter described in connection with the ac@ such terms as fresiliencc, soitness, loitiness. companying drawings which illustrate one good and stifnessi practical form of the invention. v @o l-leretofore the softness, stillness and resilience in the drawings:- oi rib-res have been determined largely by manun Fig. l is a side elevation of a testing machine ally reeling the lores in the loose unspun condiconstructed in accordance with the present intion and also after the iibres have been spun ond vention; eroi/'en to iorrn a fabric suoli as pile fabric. liig. 2 is a front elevation oi Fig. l showing @g is desirable to provides, macliinefor deter`=l the parts in position ready to start the testing in* tl'ie properties just mentioned with a operation; liigher degree ci accuracy than can be deteru Fig. 3 is a view similar' to Fig. 2 showing the a manual eizamuiation of the fibres, and test partly completed andthe fibre container in 'gc for recording or plotting the results of the tests section;

for comparison and future reference. ci is a perspective View cih the pendulumv The present invention therefore relates to iibre weight and associated parts; testing niaciiinesfor accurately determining the Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on of a mass of fibres under various comprestire line 5 5 of Fig. 3; sion forces and ior recording the resulni of the Fig. 6 is a perspective view of cable connecting preferably in the form of a plotted pres means to be described; and i sure-volume curve. Fig. 7 is a top plan View of af link shown in @ne important vfeature of the present invention Fig. 6. resides in a container for conning the mass of In the embodiment of the invention shown the g5 nbres to be tested and` in mechanism for ccnitesting machine is supported in an upright po-a (d pressing the fibres therein, with associated means sition and is provided with the base plates l. y for indie-ating or recording the reduced volume adapted to rest upon the oor or other supporting of the compressed fibres and the pressure to surface. The base plates 1 have the upwardly which the riores are subjected as the volume extending flanges 2 to which the posts or uprights e@ changes. 3 are secured and these posts are connected "by @55 A'suootiier feature of the invention consists in the transversely extending braces i, 5. means for gradually increasing or decreasing the The mass of loose fibres to be testedk is conned compression. force so that one curve or set of in a container 6, whichin the construction shown readings may be secured as the bres me comis cylindrical in shape. and is supported for ver- 3'51 pressed and another as the compressed bres are tical sliding movement. The cylinder 6 has a g@ permitted to expand to thereby indicate the rebottom or closure '7 rigidly secured to the cylinder siliency oi' the mass. and has a hollow, downwardly extending boss or Another feature of the invention resides in sleeve 8 in which the upper end of an operating automatic stop means for arresting the bre comscrew 9 is rigidly secured.'

0 pressing mechanism when the fibres are subjected In order to provide for accurate readings, the 95 to a predetermined pressure. operating parts should offer little friction. The

A more specic feature of the invention recylinder 6 is, therefore, shown as supported for sides in a container for the fibres supported for vertical sliding movement on the antifriction axial movement and provided with a relatively balls 10 mounted in supporting blocks 11 and g5 movable plunger or closure for one end of the adapted to projectA into longitudinally extending 109 container, the arrangement being such that as slots or grooves 12 formed in the outer wall of the the container is advanced towards the plunger cylinder. 'The blocks 11 are supported by the the conned fibres will exert an increasing presspaced rings 13 and 14 surrounding the cylinder 6 sure upon the plunger. The desired readings are and secured to the uprights 3.' 5o secured by determining the container movement The upper end of the container 6 in the pres- 105A and corresponding pressure upon the plunger. ent construction is closed by an independently A. further feature of the invention resides in supported plunger or closure 15 which fits slidmeans for yieldingly opposing the plunger moveably in the upper end of the container and is supl ment and for .connecting the plunger to said ported for vertical sliding movement by the 55 yielding means. plunger guide rods 16 that are slidably mounted 11o in bosses 17 upon the bridge bar 5. The rods 16 are provided adjacent their upper ends with the spaced shoulders 18 adapted to receive between them the link 19 having the oppositely facing notches 20, Fig. 7, that receive the reduced portions of the rods 16 between the shoulders 18.

The weight of the plunger is preferably counterbalanced by a cable 21 extending upwardly from the link 19 about the sheave 22 and provided at one end with the counterbalancing weight 23.

The cable 21 may be secured to the link 19 by the clamps 24 disposed at the opposite faces of the link, and in the construction shown a portion of the cable 2l extends -downwardly about the sheave 25 rotatably supported by the bridge bar 5 and extending upwardly therefrom as indicated at 26` so that it may be connected to pendulum weight means and an indicator to be described.

In the construction shown power mechanism is provided to impart the desired axial movement to the cylinder 6, and since it may be desirable to determine the expansive action of the nbres as 7 well as the fibre compression a reversible electric motor 27 is preferably provided to raise and lower the cylinder at the desired rate of speed. This motor is conveniently mounted upon the uprights 3, as shown.

ri'he container 6 is raised and lowered by the operating screw 9 which is held from rotating and is attached to the lower end of the container, as above described. The screw 9 extends downwardly through a 'threaded sleeve 28 rotatably supported between the bearings 30, 31. The casing 29 is supported by the flanges 2 below the cylinder 6, and the threaded sleeve 28 is rotated by the worm gear 32 mounted thereupon.

Power is imparted from the motor 27 to the sleeve 28 through any suitable train of reducing l gears, and in the construction shown the motor 27 drives the belt 33 which rotates a pulley 3d and its shaft 35 is rotatably supported by the gear casing 29. The shaft 35 is provided with a pinion 36 that drives afgear 37 secured to a second shaft 38, and this latter shaft has a pinion 39 that meshes with a gear l0 which is secured to a third shaft v41. The shaft il drives a fourth shaft l2 through gears Li3 Iand Lill and the shaft l2 is provided with a worm ll5 that meshes with and drives the worm gear 32.

The reversing motor" 27 may be controlled by the switch board 4.6 having the switch lever 47 that may be shifted to the starting position S to rotate the motor in one direction, to the ofi position to stop the motor and to the reverse position R to operate the motor in the opposite direction. The switch board is shown as connected to the motor 27 by the conductors d8.

1t will be seen from the power operating mechanism described that rotation of the motor 27 through the reducing gears rotates the threaded sleeve 28 to raise or lower the cylinder 6, depending upon the direction in which the motor rotates, and the vertical sliding movement of the threaded shaft 9 is guided by a xed sleeve i9 upon the gear casing 29.

rThe rising movement imparted to the cylinder 6 by the screw 9 serves Ato compress the iibres F in the cylinder and to cause them to exert an upward pressure upon the plunger 15. Various means may be provided for determining the pressure exerted upon the bres, and one good practical. means will now be described for yieldingly resisting the upward pressure upon the plunger and for indicating the pressure exerted thereupon.

This is accomplished in the construction shown by employing a pendulum weight comprising the pendulum arm 50 which is secured to and rotatably supported by the shaft 51 journaled in the casing 52 of the indicating device to be described. The arm 50 isshown as having the upper Weight 53 and lower weight 5d and the latter is adjustable lengthwise of the arm to vary its leverage action. The means shown for operatively connecting the sliding plunger 15 to the pendulum supporting shaft 51 comprises a sheave 55 secured to the shaft 5l, and this sheave has secured thereto and extending downwardly therefrom a strap or cable 56 which is secured by a bolt 57 to the connection at the upper end of the cable 26. The arrangement is such that as the plunger 15 is elevated by the pressure of the bres thereagainst the link 19 connected to the cable 26 will exert a pull upon this cable in a direction to turn the sheave 55 and impart an upward swinging movement to the weighted arm 56 as will be apparent from Figs. 3 and d;

The movement imparted to the arm 59 is preferably less than 90, while it is desirable to cause this limited movement to rotate a pointer 58 through practically a complete circle. rlhe shaft 51 is therefore shown as provided with the segmented gear 59 adapted to rotate the pinion 60 secured to the pointer operating shaft 6l mounted centrally of the indicating dial 58X. The indicating mechanism just described will serve to indicate in pounds or other units the pressure exerted upon the mass of kfibres F.

It is desirable to determine the compressing movement imparted to the cylinder6 and the corresponding pressure exerted upon the fibres or plunger 15, and to plot these values in the form of a pressure-volume curve.

This is accomplished in the construction shown j by securing to one of the uprights 3 a chart supporting :trame provided with the guide-ways 62 adapted to slidably support a platen 53 for a recording chart 64 and the platen is provided at its ends with the chart holding clamps 65. Sliding movement is imparted to the platen 63 proportionate to the movement imparted to the cylinder 6, and this is accomplished in the construction shown by providing the vertically extending shaft 66 which is rotatably supported adjacent an upright 3 by the bearings 67. rihe shaft 66' may be rotated from the shaft ll1 by the gears 68 and this shaft is provided at its upper end with a worm 69 adapted to rotate a worm wheel 70 upon a shaft 71 extending transversely of the platen support. The shaft 71 is provided with a gear 72 that meshes with a rack 73, secured to the platen. rlhe arrangement is such that the platen 63 is lowered as the container 5 is raised.

The platen 63 is provided with a cooperating pen or marker 74 slidably mounted upon a transversely extending rod 75 which rod may be supported by the guide ways 62. Movement is imparted from the swinging arm 50 to the marker 7d by the connecting link 76 connecting pointer 741 to weight 53. The construction is such that when a mass of iibres is to be tested the parts are positioned as shown in Fig. 2 and the marker 74 is set at the zero position upon the chart 6d. The motor 27 may then be started to compress the fibres in the container 6 and during the compressing operation the platen will move downward and the marker will be moved laterally to produce a compression curve C upon the chart. Upon the completion of this test a second curve 

